Archives for December 2003

‘McNair didn’t take part in a light walk-through practice at Baptist Sports Park as backup Billy Volek worked with the first-team offense. But he was in cleats for the first time since last Sunday.’

”’He is one of the better defensive tackles in the league. He is able to move side-to-side very well. He brings both power and quickness to the line of scrimmage. I am sure Sam increases his level of play when he plays us.”’

”’We feel comfortable with our position and naturally the Titans feel comfortable with theirs,” Rosenhaus said. ”Right now we are not particularly close.”’

‘The Titans enter the stretch drive with all the momentum of a snail on sedatives.’

‘Titans 20, Bills 16.’

‘Q: What conference should Notre Dame play in?

A: ”If they are going to go to one, and I don’t necessarily think they should, I’d say Big Ten. We are more of a Midwest style of football scheme and I think we’d fit best in the Big Ten.”’

‘Give a Titans salute today to Van Miller, radio voice of the Bills for 37 years. This is his last trip around the frozen lake and he will be in the Bills booth today. Miller won’t divulge his age, only admits to being a bus boy at The Last Supper.’

‘General manager Tom Donahoe agrees, but he thinks there will be room for both tailbacks next season. “We don’t have any decision to make,” Donahoe said. “We’ll go into next year with two outstanding running backs, and we’ll see what happens.”‘

Joe DeLamielleure will be appearing in Richmond, VA, Sunday (December 14th) at an autograph show. Held in the spacious Exhibition Hall at the Richmond International Raceway complex, the show has been a fixture on the sports collecting landscape for 12 years. Each show typically features 12 to 15 autograph guests.

‘This will be the Bills’ first important game in Nashville since their AFC wild-card loss to the Titans, which propelled Tennessee to the Super Bowl in 2000. Only six Bills remain from that team, which now looks like a northern version of the Titans, with cornerback Dainon Sidney and four former Tennessee coaches. ”They’re bizarro Titans,” Tennessee left tackle Brad Hopkins said. Add to that three former Tennessee Volunteers on the Bills’ roster, and Sunday’s game feels like a family reunion albeit one with very high stakes. Henry alone will have 25 friends and family in the stands.’

‘”There’s no doubt in my mind he’ll answer the bell,” said Bills coach Gregg Williams, the Titans’ defensive coordinator from 1997-00. “He’s one of the toughest football players in the league, and playing at a very high level. You know he’s playing at a level that many are considering maybe an MVP candidate. I thought he was last year, too.”‘

‘”We had parking attendants go out there earlier than they normally would be and made the authorities aware, “Let’s enforce this more than we have before,’ ” said Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold. “A lot of the fans had entered in illegally, actually, when they came into the parking lots before that,” he said. “We’re paying a lot more attention to that, and we’re enforcing it a lot of more readily now, and fans should be aware of that.”‘

‘”You don’t take a week off. This is football. You play,” said Bledsoe. “If I’m able to play I’m going to play and that’s the way I’m going to be until I quit playing the game.”‘

”’He’s got a little less swelling in the ankle joint than he did (Thursday). And that’s the key right now, to get the swelling out of there, because there’s so much swelling and bleeding in the joint it’s not operating,” Fisher said. ”If we can continue to get the swelling out then he’ll have a chance to get out on the field and see if he can go.”’

”’Drew has helped me out a lot and I appreciate everything he has done. What he has done in this league is phenomenal,” Volek said.’